Aston Martin is bringing the V12 Vantage back for one last hurrah.
The brand has confirmed it’s slotting a V12 into its smallest car once again, something we’ve been expecting since the limited-edition Speedster showed the Vantage body can house the DB11’s twin-turbocharged V12 engine.
Currently, the Vantage is powered by a AMG-sourced twin-turbo V8 with 375kW of power and 700Nm of torque. Those figures should rise significantly when the V12 is revealed.
In the DB11 AMR, the V12 engine makes 470kW of power and 700Nm of torque, while the special-edition Vantage V12 Speedster ups that to 522kW and 752kW.
Aston Martin has also somewhat cryptically said the car won’t be a limited edition, and will instead be a Final Edition.
It’s not 100 per cent clear what the V12 Vantage will be farewelling, but it could be the current Vantage model, or the V12 engine itself.
Although it’s only now approaching what would usually be time for a mid-life upgrade, it’s not clear how the Vantage fits into Aston Martin’s new, electrified business plan.
It’s the same story with the twin-turbo V12 engine, currently used in the DB11 and DBS. Aston Martin has committed to an in-depth technical partnership with Mercedes-AMG, and is gearing up to roll out mild-hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and eventually pure-electric powertrains.
It’s not clear what the future holds for that engine, but a powered-up Vantage could be how Aston plans to farewell its current V12.
We’ve already spied the V12 Vantage at the Nurburgring, with centrally-mounted exhaust pipes and a boomerang-shaped bonnet vent that nods overtly to the last V12 Vantage.
The V12 Vantage was a much-loved member of the previous-generation Vantage range.
Launched in 2009, it evolved in the V12 Vantage S, the Zagato, the GT12 special edition, the AMR, and finally the Vantage N600.
